NewsNigeriaPoliticsOndo 2023: 14 Political Parties Honour Police Invitation, Sign Peace Accord

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Ahead of the 2023 general electons, 14 political parties in Ondo State have signed a peace accord.

The exercise which took place on Thursday saw the politicial parties promising to adhere strictly to the dictates of the Electoral Act.

Oyeyemi Oyediran, the Ondo State Police Commissioner who organised the meeting at the Police Officers’ Mess, Alagbaka, Akure, said  that the move was necessary to ensure the general elections is peaceful in the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), represented by Mr. Oyekola Oyelami, Administrative Secretary of the commission, urged all the political parties to play the game according to the rules.

While promising that the commission would put its best to conduct free, fair and credible elections across the country,Oyelami said, “INEC is ready to conduct free, fair and credible elections across the nation, but we we need the cooperation of all stakeholders including politicians, the electorate and security agencies.

“This Peace Accord organised by the Police is a laudable move and I urge all the political parties that have signed the agreement to honour it.

He added, “Names of all candidates contesting for the elective positions are on our website. You will recall that we opened a portal for all political parties to submit names of their candidates.

“So,if there’s anyone whose name is not on our list, it’s the chairman of the party that should be blamed not INEC,” Oyelami said.

Some of the politicians raised several issues at the meeting, particularly on vote-buying, the INEC Administrative Secretary said it could be checked if all stakeholders could adhere to the Electoral Act.

“If politicians can follow the Electoral Act, the issue of vote-buying will surely be a thing of the past.

“Everyone should be on the look out and be watchful. The electorate should not agree to sell their votes. If anyone wants to buy vote and there’s no one ready to sell his or hers, then the vote-buying menace will die a natural death,” Oyelami said.

“We are all aware that the country is so divided and the rhetoric that tends to divide the country further along the line of North and South dichotomy cannot do the country any good hence we urge that persons of all classes need not engage in divisive actions or utterances.

“As well-meaning Nigerians we expect that senior citizens should promote actions that tend to unite the country and not that which would further divide us.

“The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar won  the party’s primary on the account of free and transparent votes of delegates of the party across the country.

He said, “The constitution of our country is very clear that once a Presidential Candidate emerges, he is duty bound to choose a running mate and by tradition from the other side of the country.

“It couldn’t have been the right thing to say that we should have rejected the nomination because if we had, other persons would have also accepted it.

“We will continue to respect Chief Clark despite the recent attacks on Governor Okowa and we also put it on record that the highly respected elder statesman had supported us in the past up to 2019 and had cause to commend the Governor for his sterling accomplishments in the state.

“So we will not begrudge him because he has chosen to support someone else this time around,” the statement added.

By Uzoamaka Ikezue (Staff Reporter)

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